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Article summary:
1. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays for detecting or analyzing expression profiles of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are currently of uncertain clinical value.
2. This study assessed men with localized prostate cancer or castration-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC) for CTCs by real-time RT-PCR for KLK3 (PSA) and KLK2 mRNAs, and investigated the association of CTCs with disease characteristics and survival.
3. Results showed that KLK3 or KLK2 mRNAs were positive in 37 (49%) patients with CRPC, but in only 15 (8%) patients with localized cancer. RT-PCR and CellSearch CTC results were strongly concordant and correlated, and closely associated with clinical evidence of bone metastases and with survival.
Article analysis:
This article is generally trustworthy as it provides a detailed description of the research methods used, including the sample size, type of assay used, and statistical analysis performed. The authors also provide a clear explanation of their findings and discuss potential implications for clinical practice. However, there are some potential biases to consider when evaluating this article. For example, the sample size is relatively small which may limit the generalizability of the results to larger populations. Additionally, the study was conducted at a single institution which may introduce selection bias into the results. Furthermore, there is no discussion of possible confounding factors such as age or comorbidities which could influence the results. Finally, while the authors discuss potential implications for clinical practice they do not provide any concrete recommendations based on their findings which could be useful for clinicians in making treatment decisions.